Mackay suffers broken leg

NICKY MACKAY is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after he suffered a broken leg in a fall at Chelmsford on Thursday evening.

Mackay was riding the oddson favourite Royalistic in a mile-and-a-quarter maiden and still held every chance entering the final two furlongs.

Inexplicably, Royalistic then hung badly right and unseated his jockey when he crashed through the rails.

Mackay’s agent Nigel Baxter said: ‘I’ve spoken to Nicky and he’s having an operation.

‘Understandably, Nicky is quite groggy and a bit out of it.

‘He’s broken his leg. It’s a clean break, which at least is a semblance of good news.

‘His family would like to thank everyone for all the phone calls and good wishes.

‘It couldn’t have come at a worse time. This was going to be a good year for Nicky, what with his link-up with Mr (John) Gosden, and he’d had a really good start. I think he’ll be looking at three to six months off, but we’ll just have to see.’

Meanwhile, Charlie Deutsch was taken to hospital for further checks on an arm injury sustained in a fall on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Deutsch parted company with the Nicky Henderson-trained Rather Be in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.

He missed his intended ride aboard Callipto in the closing Grand Annual Chase. Cheltenham spokeswoman Sophia Dale said: ‘Charlie has gone to Cheltenham General Hospital with an arm injury.’